Coinage in Elocia

[Kenneth New]

Coinage in Elocia

The following coins are in common usage in Elocia.

Octal and Bits

In Elocia, the standard copper coin is called the octal. It's octagonal in shape and can be easily cut into eights, each of which is called a bit.

Octals are often found cut into half octals (4 bits) or quarter octals (2 bits). It's legal to cut them into eighths, but almost no one ever does.

An octal weighs 1/50th of a pound.

Crown

A silver crown weighs 1/50th of a pound. 1 crown is worth 10 octals (80 bits). Crowns are minted with the face of the current Duke of Elocia and a motto on the reverse.

Auric

An auric weighs 1/10th of a pound. 1 auric is worth 50 crowns.

The coins are hexagonal with a hexagonal hole in the center. They are designed to be stacked on hexagonal dowels for easy transport.

Aurics are an Elocian copy of the Sadiran khershand which has the same value. It's a fairly rare coin.

Wheel (Kyklon)

Since the coronation of Duke Stephanos Agathis-Orontid the treasury has been melting down foreign gold and gold trade bars in order to mint a new gold coin based on the Aikonian Phoenix. It weighs 1/50 of a pound and is worth 10 crowns. It shows The Circumscribed triangle symbol on one side and the wheel of fate on the other.

Trade Bars

Large transactions are often made using trade bars instead of coins. The bars are weighed and stamped with an assayers mark. The value of the bars is based on the value of the metal. Gold is worth twenty times as much as silver.

Small bars weigh 5 lbs each. Silver bars are worth 250 crowns each. Gold bars are worth 2500 crowns each.

Large bars weigh 10 lbs each. Silver bars are worth 500 crowns (10 aurics) and gold bars are worth 5000 crowns.

Ingots (pigs) weigh 25 lbs each. Silver ingots are worth 1250 crowns and gold ingots are worth 12,500 crowns.

Other Coins Common in Elocia

The Kingdom of Morava controls silver mines in the Umber Mountains. The coins minted from this silver are called Moravan skells. A skell also contains 1/50th of a pound of silver and has the same value as the Elocian crown.

Lugals are coins from Lugash that were minted before the fall of the city to the Urhag horde. A lugal contains a 20th of a pound of silver and was equal in value to 2.5 Elocian crowns.

Aikonian drachma are worth the same as Elocian crowns and contain the same silver.

Aikonian Phoenixes are small gold coins containing 1/50th of a pound of gold and have a value equal to 10 crowns.

Chryseon uses the silver minek (equal to 2 crowns) and the gold darya (equal to 50 crowns).

Karthis uses marks, each of which is 1/50 of a pound. Copper marks are worth 1 octal, silver marks are worth 1 crown and gold marks are worth 1 wheel.

Other currencies exist, such as the Deladnian bezrug (made of electrum and valued at 5 crowns), the Deladnian kival (made of platinum and values at 10 wheels and the Midian dinaru (made of brass, valued at 1.5 crowns).

[Kenneth New]

Upkeep in Elocia Campaign

Poor
1 sp per day, 30 sp per month, 365 sp per year
This is the lifestyle of most day laborers and apprentice laborers. A character at this level of upkeep:

• lives in a single room flat, or with parents or roommates
  
• eats mostly beans and bread, with occasional cheese and meat no more than once a week
  
• drinks small beer, pomace or ptisane, with occasional beer or wine
  
• dresses in ragged clothing and worn shoes; probably has only one outfit
  
• has no possessions of any worth
  

Common
3.3 sp per day, 100 sp per month, 1200 sp per year
This is the lifestyle of most journeymen laborers and armsmen. A character at this level of upkeep:

• lives in a small apartment or very small house
  
• eats mostly beans and bread, with cheese and meat 2-3 times a week
  
• drinks beer, wine or ptisane, with occasional brandy or distilled liquor
  
• dresses in good clothing and shoes; probably has 2-3 outfits
  
• has few possessions of worth outside the tools of his craft or trade
  

Comfortable
10 sp per day, 500 sp per month, 6000 sp per year
This is the lifestyle of journeymen laborers in well-paid crafts, or mastercraftsmen in common crafts. It is also the lifestyle of ranking armsmen and professionals. A character at this level of upkeep:

• lives in an apartment or small house, or possibly a single room in a good inn
  
• eats meat or cheese most days, with occasional cheaper meals
  
• drinks beer, wine or ptisane, with occasional brandy or distilled liquor
  
• dresses in good clothing and shoes; probably has 3-5 outfits
  
• has the tools of his craft or trade and can retrieve just about any common mundane item (worth 10 sp or less) from his home in d10 minutes
  
• does not need to track purchases of common meals or taxes that cost 5 sp or less
  

Wealthy
33 sp per day, 1000 sp per month, 12,000 sp per year
This is the lifestyle of mastercraftsmen in well-paid crafts. It is also the lifestyle of elite armsmen and very successful professionals. The lowest levels of the nobility, and successful merchants enjoy this lifestyle. A character at this level of upkeep:

• lives in a large apartment or nice house, or possibly a single room in a superior inn
  
• eats meat or cheese every day, with occasional pastries and fancy foods
  
• drinks superior beer, wine or ptisane, with frequent brandy and distilled liquor
  
• dresses in superior clothing and shoes; probably has 3-5 outfits, plus special outfits for holidays and special occasions
  
• has the tools of his craft or trade and can retrieve just about any common mundane item (worth 50 sp or less) from his home in d10 minutes
  
• does not need to track purchases of common meals or taxes that cost 25 sp or less
  

Very Wealthy
167 sp per day, 5000 sp per month, 60,000 sp per year
This is the lifestyle of the nobility, the most successful merchants and artisans. A character at this level of upkeep:

• lives in a sizable house, or possibly a suite of rooms in one of the best inns in town
  
• eats meat and cheese every day, plus pastries and fancy deserts. Meals at this level of upkeep become works of art
  
• drinks excellent beer, wine or ptisane, with superior brandy and distilled liquor at will
  
• dresses in the best clothing and shoes; probably has 5 or more outfits, plus special outfits for holidays and special occasions
  
• has the tools of his craft or trade and can retrieve just about any common mundane item (worth 100 sp or less) from his home in d10 minutes
  
• does not need to track purchases of common meals or taxes that cost 50 sp or less
  

Extravagant
333 sp per day, 10,000 sp per month, 120,000 sp per year
This is the lifestyle of the upper nobility. A character at this level of upkeep:

• lives in a palatial manor or town house, or possibly one floor of the best inn in town
  
• eats meat and cheese every day, plus pastries and fancy deserts. Meals at this level of upkeep become works of art, with extremely rare ingredients
  
• drinks imported or specialty beer, wine or ptisane, with excellent brandy and distilled liquor at will
  
• dresses in the best clothing and shoes; probably has dozens of outfits, plus special outfits for holidays and special occasions
  
• has all the accoutrements of his status and can retrieve just about any common mundane item (worth 1000 sp or less) from his home in d10 minutes
  
• does not need to track purchases of common meals or taxes that cost 250 sp or less